A Sandwich a Day: The Broccoli at No. 7 Sub

In this great nation of ours, one could eat a different sandwich every day of the year--so that's what we'll do. Here's A Sandwich a Day, our daily look at sandwiches around the country. Got a sandwich we should check out? Let us know.— The Mgmt.

Cooked broccoli stuffed between bread doesn't sound like the most appealing sandwich, but you would be surprised. No. 7 Sub does this unexpected combination some real justice.

The broccoli is roasted until just tender but still firm; the florets brown and caramelize in the heat, giving the vegetable a welcome meatiness. The sandwich comes with a well-proportioned amount of salty, crumbly ricotta salata, which, combined with a light spread of mayo, balances crunch with creaminess. Toasted pine nuts studded across the sandwich enhance the roasted flavor and add another layer of texture. We only wish there was a little more creaminess to go with all the crunch. To up their No. 7-esque weirdness there's also a lychee muchim, which gets lost in the mix; its lychee fruitiness only shows up as a generic sweetness.

Do yourself a favor and eat this sandwich as soon as possible, while it's in its prime. Over time the broccoli loses its bright green hue and freshness.

About the author:Andrea Kang is a magazine journalism student in her senior year at Northwestern University. She is the editor in chief of Spoon Magazine, Northwestern's campus food publication, and loves to blog about her food adventures at The Sunny-Side Up Kitchen.

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